A Democratic Political Action Committee has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over former President Donald Trump’s interview with X owner Elon Musk. The committee claimed the interview was a “corporate contribution.”
Musk touted the interview with Trump as an “unscripted” discussion between the two billionaires, which was hosted on X and went on for two hours. End Citizens United, a PAC organization, described the live talk as a “campaign event” in a press release announcing its FEC complaint and that the resources Musk used to host this call violated campaign finance laws.
“The Donald Trump-Elon Musk campaign rally hosted on X wasn’t just an incoherent diatribe of lies marred by technical difficulties. It was a blatantly illegal corporate contribution to Donald Trump’s campaign,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “This brazen corporate contribution undermines campaign finance laws and would set a dangerous precedent for unfettered, direct corporate engagement in campaigns. The FEC must investigate this corporate-funded campaign event and hold Trump, his campaign, and X Corp. accountable.”
The complaint, filed Tuesday, argued that some of the resources used for the event included X staff addressing “technical difficulties” during the call because the live talk started out with a delay that Musk blamed on “a massive DDOS attack on X.” The complaint also claimed Musk “repeated express advocacy” for Trump during this call.
As such, the complaint asks the FEC to fine the respondents “the maximum amount permitted by law.”
End Citizens United is not the only group that has taken legal action against Trump’s interview with Musk. United Auto Workers filed federal labor charges against both billionaires. The UAW noted how the two “advocated for the illegal firing of striking workers” and argued that workers cannot be fired for going on strike under the National Labor Relations Act.
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Similarly, Thierry Breton, European Union commissioner for the Internal Market, wrote a letter to Musk warning that he and X could face repercussions if his conversation with Trump ventured into territory the EU deemed hateful or misleading. The EU has since distanced themselves from Breton, arguing he had not received permission to send the letter.
Musk and Trump discussed a wide range of topics during the interview, including the assassination attempt on the former president, Vice President Kamala Harris and her record on the southern border, and vowing to build an Iron Dome missile defense system in the United States. Last month, Musk endorsed Trump in his bid for the White House.
